Flyers Discuss Excitement, Preparations For Outdoor Game
Everyone prepares differently, but it's universally agreed that everyone will be cold.
Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports - Flyers Discuss Excitement, Preparations For Outdoor GameIn the leadup to the Flyers' Stadium Series game against the New Jersey Devils, it becomes clear that Cam York and Cam Atkinson have very different experiences playing outdoors.
Atkinson has played (and scored) in an outdoor game like this before, at Fenway Park when he was a Boston College Eagle; this is York's first time.
"I was talking to [Marc Staal] the other day about it," York said. "He was just ranting about how fun it is and all the great memories, so I'm excited for it."
Growing up in Connecticut, Atkinson had plenty of access to outdoor ice.
"Where I grew up, Greenwich Skating Club was an outdoor rink," he said."Power skating at five-thirty in the morning when it's snowing out, freezing cold. You had to put the feet and hand warmers in your gloves and skates. Some of my fondest memories are skating outdoors."
On the other side of the country, in York's home state of California, those options were far more limited.
"I kind of played outdoors when I was younger, but it wasn't on this level, obviously," he said. "I played a lot of roller hockey growing up in my backyard in California—I guess that's outdoors. I'm really excited, it's gonna be a super fun experience."
Atkinson is looking forward to playing at a venue like MetLife, seeing as he grew up a "bandwagon" New York Giants fan.
"I think it's gonna be special, for sure," he said. "Hopefully it's packed, 80,000 plus. They say it's a Devils home game, but I feel like—it's not like we're playing at the Eagles' stadium where it would be like, 'This is a home game for us.' I feel like it could go either way. I feel like our fans are gonna show out and put on a good show...It's gonna be a surreal moment, for sure."
As the Flyers prepare for their outdoor outing at MetLife Stadium, it's evident that it's something that the entire team looks forward to. Jamie Drysdale, another Stadium Series rookie, said that the opportunity to play outdoors was something his Ducks teammates envied when he got traded.
"I'm really looking forward to that," he said. "Right when I got traded, a lot of the guys were like, 'Well, on the bright side, you get to play in that outdoor game.' It's something that ever since I got traded I've been looking forward to it. I think it should be a lot of fun, a really cool experience."
The one downside to the outdoor game? Nobody is especially excited for the anticipated weather conditions.
When asked if the Flyers would be needing hand warmers for this game, Atkinson and laughed and said, "Who knows, we'll see! The weather looks like it's kind of going up and down."
"I haven't thought about what I'm gonna wear or anything like that," York said. "I'll talk with some of the guys and we'll figure that out."
The Flyers will take on the Devils outdoors on Feb. 17 at 8:00 pm EST.